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Thermal design trades for SAFIR architecture conceptsSAFIR is a IO-meter, 4 K space telescope optimized for wavelengths between 20 microns and 1 mm. The combination of aperture diameter and telescope temperature will provide a raw sensitivity improvement of more than a factor of 1000 over presently-planned missions. The sensitivity will be comparable to that of the JWST and ALMA, but at the critical far-IR wavelengths where much of the universe's radiative energy has emerged since the origin of stars and galaxies. We examine several of the critical technologies for SAFIR which enable the large cold aperture, and present results of studies examining the telescope optics and the spacecraft thermal architecture. Both the method by which the aperture is filled, and the overall optical design for the telescope can impact the potential scientific return of SAFIR. Thermal architecture that goes far beyond the sunshades developed for the James Webb Space Telescope will be necessary to achieve the desired sensitivity of SAFIR. By combining active and passive cooling at critical points within the observatory, a significant reduction of the required level of active cooling can be obtained.
Document ID
20060043727
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Yorke, Harold W.
Paine, Christopher
Bradford, Matt
Dragovan, Mark
Nash, Al
Dooley, Jennifer
Lawrence, Charles
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
June 21, 2004
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Country: United Kingdom
Start Date: June 21, 2004
End Date: June 25, 2004
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
infrared telescopes
submillimeter telescopes
Single Aperture Far-Infrared Observatory (SAFIR)

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